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MWSA Review
Author Mike Guardia provides an inside look at the training and troops called upon to charge into the teeth of Saddam's dug-in T-72 tank defense and engage in his "Mother of All Battles" at the onset of Desert Storm. Small unit courage, luck, and training drives Eagle Troop and the 2d Armored Calvary Regiment to win The Battle of 73 Easting—possibly the most dominant one-sided tank battle in the history of mankind. Troop Commander Captain H.R. McMaster leads this historic offensive.
The book reveals the infinite steps taken to launch and win this engagement that decimated the Iraqi Republican Guard in the VII Corps zone of attack. Spiced with the deadly dangers, unforeseen turns, and sometimes humorous encounters faced, the read provided an upfront view of the preparation and battle. I suggest this book for those who enjoy learning about the preparations for war and tank battle.
Review by Hodge Wood (March 2018)
Author's Synopsis
With a Foreword by General (ret) Fred Franks - Commander, VII Corps in Desert Storm
As a new generation of main battle tanks came on line during the 1980s, neither the US nor USSR had the chance to pit them in combat. But once the Cold War between the superpowers waned, Iraq's Saddam Hussein provided that chance with his invasion of Kuwait. Finally the new US M1A1 tank would see how it fared against the vaunted Soviet-built T-72.
On the morning of August 2, 1990, Iraqi armored divisions invaded the tiny emirate of Kuwait. The Iraqi Army, after its long war with Iran, had more combat experience than the U.S. Army. Who knew if America's untested forces could be shipped across the world and thence contest the battle-hardened Iraqis on their homeground? The Kuwaitis had collapsed easily enough, but the invasion drew fierce condemnation from the UN, which demanded Saddam's withdrawal. Undeterred by the rhetoric, the Iraqi dictator massed his forces along the Saudi Arabian border and dared the world to stop him. In response, the U.S. led the world community in a coalition of 34 nations in what became known as Operation Desert Storm - a violent air and ground campaign to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait. Leading this charge into Iraq were the men of Eagle Troop in the US Army's 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment.
Commanded by then-Captain HR McMaster, Eagle Troop was the lead element of the US VII Corps' advance into Iraq. On February 26, 1991, Eagle Troop encountered the Tawakalna Brigade of Iraq's elite Republican Guard. By any calculation, the 12 American tanks didn't stand a chance. Yet within a mere 23 minutes, the M1A1 tanks of Eagle Troop destroyed more than 50 enemy vehicles and plowed a hole through the Iraqi front. History would call it the Battle of 73 Easting.
Based on hours of interviews and archival research by renowned author Mike Guardia, this minute-by-minute account of the U.S. breakthrough reveals an intimate, no-holds-barred account of modern warfare.
ISBN/ASIN: 978-1612002927
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Kindle, Audiobook
Genre(s): Nonfiction, History
Review Genre: Nonfiction—History
Number of Pages: 248